The NCAA title that eluded Oscar Robertson for three years
was brought home by Cincinnati in 1961 on one of the most memorable evenings in
Final Four history.

On the last night of the season in Kansas City, two teams
from the same state (Cincy and defending champ Ohio State) met in the
championship game, the Buckeyes were ranked No.1 and the Bearcats No.2, and both
the title and consolation games went into overtime. The preliminary for third
place actually went four OT periods before St. Joseph's beat Utah, 127120.

In the Final, a layup by Ohio State's Bobby Knight sent the
game into OT, tied at 61. Cincy, led by Paul Hogue and Bob Wiesenhahn, took it
from there, winning 7065. Jerry Lucas scored 27 points for the losers and was
named MVP for the second straight year.

Ohio State reached the Final unbeaten (some said
unbeatable) in 27 games. Lucas, a junior, was everybody's pick for Player
of the Year, while Buckeyes' coach Fred Taylor was the unanimous choice for
Coach of the Year.

At the NIT, Providence, a finalist in 1960, won the title
with a 6259 victory over St. Louis.

Elsewhere, 10 years after the point-shaving scandals of the
'50s, the New York District Attorney's office uncovered another one, this time
involving 37 players on 22 teams from Connecticut to Detroit to Mississippi St

Final AP Top 20 (Writers' poll taken before major tournaments).

Before
Tourns

Head
Coach

Final
Record

1

Ohio St.

240

Fred Taylor

271

2

Cincinnati

233

Ed Jucker

273

3

St. Bonaventure

223

Eddie Donovan

244

4

Kansas St.

223

Tex Winter

234

5

N. Carolina

194

Frank McGuire

same

6

Bradley

215

Chuck Orsborn

same

7

USC

206

Forrest Twogood

218

8

Iowa

186

Sharm Scheuerman

same

9

West Virginia

234

George King

same

10

Duke

226

Vic Bubas

same

11

Utah

216

Jack Gardner

238

12

Texas Tech

149

Polk Robinson

1510

13

Niagara

164

Taps Gallagher

165

14

Memphis St.

202

Bob Vanatta

203

15

Wake Forest

1710

Bones McKinney

1911

16

St. John's

204

Joe Lapchick

205

17

St. Joe's,PA

224

Jack Ramsay

255

18

Drake

197

Maury John

same

19

Holy Cross

194

Roy Leenig

225

20

Kentucky

188

Adolph Rupp

199

Note:
Cincinnati won the NCAAs and unranked Providence (205, Joe Mullaney, 245)
won the NIT.

The basketball euphoria in Ohio did not extend all the way to the state's
southwestern corner. While Ohio State fans reveled in the 1960 national
championship and eagerly anticipated two more seasons with Jerry Lucas, there
was a genuine sense of loss at the University of Cincinnati. It was felt, among
other places, at the box office.

John Havlicek

Not only had the great Oscar Robertson graduated, but he also had signed with
the Cincinnati Royals of the NBA. This left the university with a two-fold
problem: It had to replace a superstar, and it had to face up to constant
comparison with a legend.

Many fans decided to take their business crosstown to the Big O's new home,
the Cincinnati Gardens.

Even George Smith, the man who had coached Robertson, abandoned the Bearcats.
He decided this was the perfect time to assume the position of athletic director
at the university. Ed Jucker, his longtime assistant, inherited a team with
talent but with no great expectations.

"My main concern," Jucker said, "is to make the games close.
And for us to stay close, we have to change our style."

And so, from a high-scoring, free-wheeling outfit that was as entertaining as
any college aggregation in the country, Cincinnati evolved into a cautious,
defense-oriented team whose approach to basketball did little to attract fans.
At least in the early going.

In fact, in the first month of the season, the Bearcats' average home
attendance was down by thousands compared with the Robertson-era crowds. It
didn't help that Cincinnati lost three of its first eight games, including
wipeouts to Missouri Valley Conference rivals Saint Louis (17-point margin) and
Bradley (19 points). At least one player suggested to Jucker that it might be
better to let the team run.

But the coach was convinced that a pressing defense and a ball-control
offense would succeed with this team, while past tactics would fail.

"None of you can be an Oscar Robertson," Jucker told the players,
"but with all five working together, maybe we can do as much."

Jucker had yet to envision a trip to the Final Four.

The victory the Bearcats needed to foster a belief system and in themselves
occurred against conference rival Dayton. Staging an impressive rally,
Cincinnati beat the Flyers by 10 points. The team embraced Jucker's style. As
the victories started to come with regularity, the fans returned.

Meanwhile, up in Columbus, the Buckeyes were proving themselves to be every
bit as good as imagined. Their fast break was beautiful to behold, they had
exquisite offensive balance and Jerry Lucas, their star, was utterly selfless.

The question was not whether the Buckeyes were the best team in the nation
but whether they were the best team of all time. Ohio State sailed undefeated
through the Big Ten Conference and arrived at the Mideast Regional in Louisville
with a record of 24-0.

There, it received a real scare from hometown Louisville. Triple-teaming
Lucas and daring the Buckeyes to beat them, the Cardinals led by five with three
minutes remaining. Ohio State rallied to tie, and John Havlicek's long jump shot
provided the Buckeyes with the winning margin in a 56-55 escape.

"I was guarded so tightly," said Lucas, who was held to nine
points, "I felt like I was in jail."

Lucas broke out the following night, making 14-of-18 from the field, scoring
33 points and collecting 30 rebounds against Kentucky. The 87-74 romp by Ohio
State convinced Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp.

"That team," said the Baron, "is truly great. They're going
all the way."

So it appeared. And while Cincinnati raised a few eyebrows by polishing off
Texas Tech and fourth-ranked Kansas State in the Midwest Regional, increasing
its winning streak to 20 games, it still was regarded as nothing more than a
potential victim for the Buckeyes. Far West Regional titlist Utah and East
champion St. Joseph's joined the two Ohio teams in Kansas City for the Final
Four.

As expected, Ohio State conducted a clinic against St. Joseph's, crushing
Jack Ramsay's well-coached team, 95-69. In the other semifinal, Cincinnati
hounded Utah's high-scoring center, Billy "The Hill" McGill and won,
82-67. While McGill managed 25 points, he made only 11-of-31 field-goal
attempts.

There was no doubt the Bearcats could take one exceptional player out of his
game, but what could they do against such a complete team as Ohio State? The
Kansas City newspapers weren't optimistic.

One paper joked the Bearcats could not be found in their rooms because they
had checked out of town. Given little chance to win, Jucker said his pressured
by expectations that "we would be the victims of another blowout."

Fred Taylor, the Ohio State coach, was taking nothing for granted. The
scouting report he delivered to his team noted Cincinnati's great strength on
the backboards. Especially notable was the work of 6-foot-9 center Paul Hogue
and forward Bob Wiesenhahn, whose 215 pounds appeared to have been sculpted.

The Bearcats did not have a strong bench and were particularly thin at
center. Taylor underlined Hogue's name and said, "Make him foul."

In his pregame instructions, Jucker told his team to concentrate on the first
20 minutes.

"If we can stay in the game for the first half," he said, "we
can beat them."

Jucker also wanted the Bearcats to send a fourth man to the boards, to stop
the Ohio State fast break before it could get started. He didn't want the
Buckeyes running under any circumstance.

As it happened, both teams spent a lot of time sitting in Municipal
Auditorium. The consolation game between St. Joseph's and Utah went on and on
and on. It wasn't until the fourth overtime that St. Joseph's secured a 127-120
victory, no triumph for the kind of defense Jucker preached.

Regardless of the long wait, the Bearcats remained calm and confident.
Without a great scorer, they had developed into a team whose offense was spread
among all five starters. Tom Thacker, the lithe 6-2 forward, was the most
creative of the Cincinnati players, point guard Tony Yates the most steady and
Carl Bouldin the best outside shooter.

Given the presence of Hogue -- a tree trunk with glasses -- and Wiesenhahn,
the Bearcats had been outrebounded only once all season.

The game unfolded exactly as Jucker had planned. Cincinnati's superior
rebounding denied Ohio State many fast-break opportunities. As well as Lucas was
shooting, the Bearcats' defense had forced him from the low post, where his
whirling moves were most effective. Neither team conceded a basket in the first
half, which ended with the Buckeyes clinging to a 39-38 lead.

Cincinnati had not been blown out, and the tempo of the game was in its
favor. But Ohio State had induced Hogue to foul three times. Jucker thought
about sitting his pivotman down at the start of the second half, but he didn't
dare risk changing the momentum. He stayed with Hogue, and the big man finished
the game with the same three fouls.

Ohio State had concentrated on stopping Hogue in the first half and succeeded
by dropping guard Larry Siegfried, the Buckeyes' captain, back inside. Bouldin
took advantage of that tactic to make five consecutive shots in the second half
and Cincinnati grabbed a six-point lead. Slowed to a shot-a-minute pace, Ohio
State came back to edge five points ahead, 58-53.

The Bearcats clawed back to tie the score, 59-59, and even seized the lead on
Thacker's short jump shot. But a driving layup by a brash Ohio State junior
reserve named Bob Knight made it 61-61 with 1:41 left and that was the score
when regulation ended.

It was fast approaching midnight when Cincinnati took its final slow steps to
the title that had eluded the Bearcats during the Robertson era.

The Bearcats began the overtime with two free throws by Hogue and steadily
pulled away to a stunning 70-65 victory.

In the final 25 minutes, they had held one of college basketball's most
dynamic offenses to 26 points.

Lucas finished as the game's high scorer with 27 points, but he was ably
assisted only by Siegfried, who had 14. The Buckeyes' stronger bench resulted in
a scoring edge of only 4-0.

By contrast, Hogue was the only Cincinnati starter not to score in double
figures -- and he had nine points.

Although Lucas as honored as the Final Four's outstanding player for the
second consecutive year, the Bearcats had won just as Jucker had pledged, as a
team. They celebrated together while Siegfried, the huge second-place trophy
clutched to his chest, placed a towel over his head and cried.